What's in the Past
by Kathryn Claire O'Connor
Summary: Lucas tells Riley the whole story about what got him kicked out of school back in Texas.


The thing was, Riley wasn't really sure she wanted to know. But maybe she _needed_ to know – or at least needed Lucas to be willing to tell her. And now he was. So the least she could do was listen. After all, even after he'd told her his story, wouldn't he still be the same old Lucas, she reasoned. How would whether or not she _knew_ what had happened in the past change who he was now? It wouldn't, not in her eyes, she told herself firmly.

All of this flashed through her mind in a matter of seconds as she stared at Lucas across a patio table outside her mom's café.

"I think I'm ready to tell you what happened in Texas," he'd said suddenly.

And now she replied, "Okay."

So he took a deep breath, and she – on instinct – squeezed his hand on the tabletop before he could steeple them, clinched, on his knees. He smiled thinly at her, squeezed her hand in return, and asked, "Do you remember that guy – the twenty-year-old middle-school student – trying to bully Zay?"

Riley nodded – now almost afraid to speak in case he changed his mind about telling her – and Lucas continued, looking down at their clasped hands as he revealed, "That's not the first time something like that has happened. Zay…" Lucas shook his head at memories that Riley couldn't see. "He was a trouble magnet all his own back in Texas. Me?" Lucas shrugged. "I considered myself his bodyguard. That's why I said 'not again' when he got himself into that trouble when he first came here – because he'd always known I would be there when we were in Texas, and in that moment in Mr. Matthews' classroom, I could see it starting _all over again_. But it didn't." Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, muttering, "I am _so glad_ it didn't.

"But," he took a deep breath, dragging himself back to his past in Texas with another sigh. "Back in Texas, that was mine and Zay's reality. Because of all the trouble that I got into trying to protect him – and, yeah, because of my own anger problems – I had already gotten in as much trouble as I could for the year without being expelled." His smile was thin, and a little dark as he said softly, "But there was this _one guy_ – it seemed like there was always just _one more guy_ to get away from my friend – who just _would not_ leave Zay alone. Whenever I tried to talk to the guy about it, use what little bit of decency or diplomacy I felt I had back then, he turned on _me._ "

Lucas's hand got tighter around Riley's, but she didn't move, barely breathed, wasn't willing to risk taking him out of the moment that he was clearly seeing again in his mind's eye. He continued, "I was already fed up with him – the only reason I hadn't already… _done something_ to him was because I _was_ actually _trying_ to remember what thin ice I was on with the school." Lucas shrugged again, saying hollowly, "In the end, as was _rarely_ the case with a fight involving Texas Lucas, he swung first." He raised an eyebrow, sighing again before saying, "But that didn't matter when _he_ was the one who ended up with a broken nose and arm. His parents could have pressed charges against me, if I remember correctly, but they didn't. Instead, they dug deeper into what theirson had been doing; they were very nice and considerate about everything towards me, all things considered. The school was not. I was expelled, my dad was transferred… and now I'm here." He shrugged, watching her carefully as he admitted, "That's really all that there is to it."

Riley released a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding, asking faintly, the relief palpable in her voice, "You were trying to protect your friend?"

Lucas nodded, still looking hesitant.

"Okay," Riley said again, smiling carefully at him. "Then that doesn't change… anything. You're overprotective." She snorted, her relief coming out in near giddiness as she rolled her eyes and pointed out, "Lucas, I knew that already!"

"So you're okay with it?" he asked, caution still clear in his eyes. "You're okay with _me_ , and _we're_ okay?"

Riley smiled fondly at him, dragging her chair over so that it was directly beside his. She kissed him on the cheek before laying her head on his shoulder and promising, "Always."


End file.
